Birth rates

Figure 7 shows that Asian and Black residents have similar overall birth rates (52 per 1,000 women aged 15-49 for Asian residents and 53 per 1,000 for Black residents), and both groups’ birth rates peak in the 25-29 and 30-34 age brackets. In Asian residents, the peak is 84 per 1,000 women aged 25-34, while in Black residents the peak is higher at 112 per 1,000. This means that overall there is less difference in birth rates by age for Asian residents than there is for Black residents.

Figure 7: Number of births to Hackney residents at HUHFT per 1,000 female Hackney residents per year by age and ethnicity – Asian and Black residents only (pooled 2013/14-2014/15)

Source: HUHFT

Figure 8 shows that White British residents have a very different birth rate and age distribution. Their overall birth rate of 24 per 1,000 women aged 15-49 is much lower than for Black and Asian residents, and the peak comes later – with 51 births per 1,000 women aged 30-39. Mixed ethnicity residents appear to have a similar birth rate to White residents (25 per 1,000) and a peak at age 30-39 of 41 per 1,000 – caution must be taken in interpreting this result, however, as it is possible that Mixed ethnicities may be under-recorded in HUHFT data (giving an artificially low birth rate) and that under-recording may vary by age.A

Figure 8: Number of births to Hackney residents at HUHFT per 1,000 female Hackney residents per year by age and ethnicity – White British and Mixed residents only (pooled 2013/14-2014/15)

Source: HUHFT

Figure 9 shows that Orthodox Jewish residents have a very high birth rate, with a peak at age 20-29. Population estimates for the Stamford Hill Orthodox Jewish community vary, but the overall annual birth rate is between 180 and 190 births per 1,000 women age 15-49, peaking at 280-300 per 1,000 women aged 20-29.

Figure 9: Number of births to Hackney residents at HUHFT per 1,000 female Hackney residents per year by age – Stamford Hill Orthodox Jewish residents only (pooled 2013/14-2014/15)

These patterns are reflected in geographical comparisons. Figure 10 shows that Children’s Centre area B (where the majority of the Stamford Hill Orthodox Jewish community live) has much higher birth rates at almost all ages and the highest birth rates at younger ages. Some geographical areas, particularly Children’s Centre area A, show two separate peaks, one at ages in the early twenties and one in the mid-thirties. This is suggestive of two or more distinct demographic groups (some more likely to have children at a younger age, some more likely to have children at an older age) living in the same area.

Figure 10: Births per 1,000 women per year by Children’s Centre area and single year of age (pooled 2014 – 2015)

Maternal health

While there are some clear health inequalities between different ethnicities, there is no overall consistent pattern of need.

Asian residents are less likely than average to give birth under the age of 20, to smoke during pregnancy and to be assessed as having poor mental health at delivery. However, they are more likely to have low birthweight babies. The low smoking rate reflects a more general low smoking rate in Asian women – however, this measure does not cover smokeless tobacco, which is more common in South Asian communities.

Black residents are more likely than average to be obese at booking and more likely to have low birthweight babies. They are more likely to breastfeed at 6-8 weeks, but less likely to breastfeed exclusively. The high obesity rate reflects a more general trend in Black women.

White residents are more likely to smoke during pregnancy and to be assessed as having poor mental health at birth, but less likely to have low birthweight babies. Within White groups, Turkish residents are particularly likely to smoke during pregnancy, reflecting a more general trend in the Turkish community.

Notes

Such errors may artificially inflate the Asian, Black and White birth rates, but cannot do so to the same extent, as Mixed residents form a much smaller proportion of the population – the number of Mixed residents with Asian heritage is 12% of the number of Asian residents; the number of Mixed residents with Black heritage is 13% of the number of Black residents; the number of Mixed residents with White heritage is 7% of the number of White residents.